They make 3 or 4 types of deoxit for different things I believe. We use the red n black can a lot. It leaves a slight film as well. We've tried lots of different contact cleaners over the years (20 years in electronics) . The deoxit is probably the most expensive but also the best. We use it sparingly but it seems to work faster, better, and last longer than anything else I've used. Don't know what their mix is but its worth the $ in my book.

They make 3 or 4 types of deoxit for different things I believe. We use the red n black can a lot. It leaves a slight film as well. We've tried lots of different contact cleaners over the years (20 years in electronics) . The deoxit is probably the most expensive but also the best. We use it sparingly but it seems to work faster, better, and last longer than anything else I've used. Don't know what their mix is but its worth the $ in my book.

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Thanks for the reply. Leaves a slight film eh? so maybe that's the difference. My standard contact cleaner seems to evaporate away completely. Maybe deoxit's residue is the difference....

Thanks for the reply. Leaves a slight film eh? so maybe that's the difference. My standard contact cleaner seems to evaporate away completely. Maybe deoxit's residue is the difference....

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Yeah that's a big part of it I think. About a 1/3 or less residue of what wd40 does. Smells like a different mix too. Kind of like std contact cleaner mixed with marvel mystery oil. Use it a few times , and you'll always have a can on hand. They make a few different types also. Just a good product that works well.

Yeah that's a big part of it I think. About a 1/3 or less residue of what wd40 does. Smells like a different mix too. Kind of like std contact cleaner mixed with marvel mystery oil. Use it a few times , and you'll always have a can on hand. They make a few different types also. Just a good product that works well.

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It's definitely on my shopping list. Does anybody think that this thin residue might be a problem for the finish of a bass? Does it get on your hands if it's sprayed around areas where cables are plugged/unplugged? I know that it is to be used SPARINGLY, but there is always a bit of overspray from anything forced out of a can mixed with propellant. I'm not really worried, lots of people here use deoxit- I just want to avoid any unpleasant surprises.

A while ago, I shot a bit into the rear DC power-in jack on a small rackmount piece of gear, and the overspray filled in the tiny pores of the textured plastic rear panel of the device surrounding the jack. I never wiped it off and it has now stuck on. I'm sure I could remove it with some sort of cleaner/thinner, but it is on the rear, so I don't bother.

You'll also find pen-type applicators, and small containers (impractical for some users).

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Yeah I saw the different types on the Hosa site. I guess the non-aerosol types would reduce the probability of overspray, but might also reduce penetration into the parts. Always some kind of trade off.....

Anybody ever sprung for the Deoxit Gold? That stuff is pricey!

i'm sure there are applications where it's a worthwhile investment, but i just want to save my amps from scratchiness from being stored in my basement. Not trying to prep for a mission into space

Yeah I saw the different types on the Hosa site. I guess the non-aerosol types would reduce the probability of overspray, but might also reduce penetration into the parts. Always some kind of trade off.....

Anybody ever sprung for the Deoxit Gold? That stuff is pricey!

i'm sure there are applications where it's a worthwhile investment, but i just want to save my amps from scratchiness from being stored in my basement. Not trying to prep for a mission into space

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Never sprung for "gold". To answer your original question. If you buy "contact cleaner" it is basically some kind of organic solvent. That cleans oil and dirt and crud off but it evaporates completely and that's it. Deoxit as the name implies chemically acts on contacts to remove the metal oxide off of them. (all but gold contacts will oxidize over time. And some of the best ones (like silver plated ones) are the worst at building up oxide. And then as icing on the cake Doxit has a light oil of some kind that remains on the parts. This acts as a shield against air to reduce further oxidation over time. It also lubs the slider on the pots making it less likely to return to being scratchy. This is why we all love it.

HOWEVER, I have found that over a LONG time (20 years) gear that I poofed with deoxit has problems. The oil film left behind sort of itself oxidizes and begins to turn into plastic. The pots get sticky and hard to turn etc. Happily I discovered that all you really needed to do was re-poof the pots and the new Deoxit disolves all the old oxidized oil (or whatever it is). And they start working again.

You might think that a pure cleaner might be better than leaving something behind, but my experience is that pots sprayed with pure cleaner tend to get scratchy again much faster than the Deoxit poofed pots, so for real use Deoxit is better. But if you want to put something in storage until it's vintage, I'd go with pure solvent cleaners. An aerosol can with a long tiny tube is usually best so you can find a small hole to force the cleaner into a pot without having to take it apart. Some pots are quite open which makes it easy.

Never sprung for "gold". To answer your original question. If you buy "contact cleaner" it is basically some kind of organic solvent. That cleans oil and dirt and crud off but it evaporates completely and that's it. Deoxit as the name implies chemically acts on contacts to remove the metal oxide off of them. (all but gold contacts will oxidize over time. And some of the best ones (like silver plated ones) are the worst at building up oxide. And then as icing on the cake Doxit has a light oil of some kind that remains on the parts. This acts as a shield against air to reduce further oxidation over time. It also lubs the slider on the pots making it less likely to return to being scratchy. This is why we all love it.

HOWEVER, I have found that over a LONG time (20 years) gear that I poofed with deoxit has problems. The oil film left behind sort of itself oxidizes and begins to turn into plastic. The pots get sticky and hard to turn etc. Happily I discovered that all you really needed to do was re-poof the pots and the new Deoxit disolves all the old oxidized oil (or whatever it is). And they start working again.

You might think that a pure cleaner might be better than leaving something behind, but my experience is that pots sprayed with pure cleaner tend to get scratchy again much faster than the Deoxit poofed pots, so for real use Deoxit is better. But if you want to put something in storage until it's vintage, I'd go with pure solvent cleaners. An aerosol can with a long tiny tube is usually best so you can find a small hole to force the cleaner into a pot without having to take it apart. Some pots are quite open which makes it easy.

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Annnnnndd....bassbenj gets bestowed the the illustrious title of "Mr. Wizard"! Thanks to everbody else for keeping this discussion going too though (you all get honorable mention )

As for my situation:

I have a music room (non-climate controlled) in my below ground basement. It gets a little humid in the spring and summer. I don't keep my basses and guitars in there, but I do have amps, cabs, effects, mics, and a computer. I bought a little hygrometer (?) to measure humidity. It was about 5 bucks and I don't know how accurate it is. I primed the wall with a sealant to keep out moisture and bought some of those anti-moisture buckets from home depot.

A proper dehumidifier is not in the budget ATM, nor is time available to hunt down craig's listers selling used ones. I have noticed a scratchy pot here and there, and my aphex xciter pedal (which is on a pedal board, always on during play and never adjusted) just died on me. Granted the aphex pedal have notoriously shoddy construction, so deoxit might not have saved it, but I can't help but wonder...

Anyway, my gear is not stored necessarily. I play it several times a week and switch often between cab and head configurations on a variety of basses. I don't gig out these days so the gear is there 24/7. I do have a weekly church gig, but my church gear stays at the church.

So my stuff isn't in long term storage, but it also isn't going anywhere. The part of my basement that is not below grade is not prone to moisture issues at all, but the family dog spends her nights there and pet hair is a big issue. I don't mind it on boxes of books, but I don't want it on my gear, so amps stay in the humid room for the forseeable future.

I currently use standard contact cleaner, when this can runs out or I have a spare 20 in my pocket, I'll give the deoxit a try.

I have a music room (non-climate controlled) in my below ground basement. It gets a little humid in the spring and summer. I don't keep my basses and guitars in there, but I do have amps, cabs, effects, mics, and a computer. I bought a little hygrometer (?) to measure humidity. It was about 5 bucks and I don't know how accurate it is. I primed the wall with a sealant to keep out moisture and bought some of those anti-moisture buckets from home depot. Just the thing for that basement gear room.

A proper dehumidifier is not in the budget ATM, nor is time available to hunt down craig's listers selling used ones.

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Here's another hint from Mr. Wizard: I don't think I've EVER actually spent any serious money for a dehumidifier.

The reason is simple. They almost all fail in the same way. The fan motor starts to stick. The fix is just to oil the fan! (note that on some of these getting to the fan motor to oil it is sometimes easier said than done!)

I used to go to the bank through this neighborhood where a lot of salesmen types lived. They never seemed to have any idea which end of the screwdriver was the handle. Hence it seemed that on trash day there were often dehumidifiers in the trash...nice new looking ones too! I'd just grab them and throw them in the car. Whenever I needed a new one, I'd just take one apart and oil the fan! When the bank closed, I had to switch to garage sales for dehumidifiers but even a couple of bucks for one isn't bad. Just keep your eyes open.

Just remember that YOU have to oil the fan at least every couple years too!

Here's another hint from Mr. Wizard: I don't think I've EVER actually spent any serious money for a dehumidifier.

The reason is simple. They almost all fail in the same way. The fan motor starts to stick. The fix is just to oil the fan! (note that on some of these getting to the fan motor to oil it is sometimes easier said than done!)

I used to go to the bank through this neighborhood where a lot of salesmen types lived. They never seemed to have any idea which end of the screwdriver was the handle. Hence it seemed that on trash day there were often dehumidifiers in the trash...nice new looking ones too! I'd just grab them and throw them in the car. Whenever I needed a new one, I'd just take one apart and oil the fan! When the bank closed, I had to switch to garage sales for dehumidifiers but even a couple of bucks for one isn't bad. Just keep your eyes open.

Just remember that YOU have to oil the fan at least every couple years too!

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Thanks for the tip Mr. Wiz! Yeah I've had my eye on a 70pt. Dehumidifier for a while now, but as I've said before, it's just not in the budget to buy a new one, nor in my schedule to look for a used one ATM. But if I pass one on the side of the road like you did, I'd grab it in a hurry.

My music room seems like it fluctuates between 55% and 60% humidity in the Summer depending on how much rain we've had. I'd like to get that down to about 45% if possible. In 2009 my part of the state got more rainfall then we'd had in something like 50 years, so it was especially damp in there. But 2010 was more normal and 2011 was on the dry side.

In the end, I'd like to be able to control the weather in that room and not be at the mercy of the seasons.

This is amazing stuff ... I have an old Peavey Basic 112 that I had sprayed the pots in the past with contact cleaner, and it helped, but never really took care of all of it ... well I used the amp a couple weeks ago, after it had been sitting for a few months, and the pots were horrible, almost unusable .. I was sure it was time to either dump it or do new pots ... this stuff brought it back to life better than I ever remember it ... if it lasts like this, its worth every penny, even though I have several cans of contact cleaner sitting around ... I got it at American Music Supply, good price, and shipping is free with a $30 order ...

Thanks for your input, thj. I'll be stopping in at the local Radio Shack the next time I'm out and about. I guess it's time for me to splurge. Although maybe it isn't splurging if it saves my gear in the long run...